First published in 1888, The American Commonwealth was an instant classic, a three-volume set discussing the political structure of American society, its legal system, and its people with an analysis that is both broad and in-depth.

Volume I covers the Constitution and the American political system. It discusses the structure of American government and the ways in which the living American government as an entity responds to crisis. The possibilities and power struggles inherent in the American system of government are examined and documented with a fair hand. Bryce goes into further detail about state constitutions and the differing legal structures that exist on a more local level.

Anyone with an interest in politics or American history will find Bryce's commentary penetratingly insightful.


British historian VISCOUNT JAMES BRYCE (1838-1922) attended the University of Glasgow and Trinity College, Oxford. He is best known for his scholarship of the Holy Roman Empire. His popular works include Studies in History and Jurisprudence (1901) and Studies in Contemporary Biography (1903).